


Sweet Nothing

by JasnNCarly



Series: Michael and Steffy (Crossover series) [14]
Category: General Hospital, The Bold and the Beautiful
Genre: F/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-12
Updated: 2013-01-12
Packaged: 2020-07-09 00:16:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19878460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JasnNCarly/pseuds/JasnNCarly
Summary: Michael meets a mystery woman while on vacation.





	Sweet Nothing

It was shame, far beyond any combination of guilt and pride. It ate his insides and scratched at his skin, begging to be acknowledged – to push forward the venomous words past his pinched lips.  
  
The life they had should be appreciated, seen only as a blessing in its effortlessness and easiness; yet pushing beyond through the drama and finding their ways to a calm had left Michael dealing with a barrel of emotions.  
  
Why didn’t he feel the butterflies? Where was the skip in his heartbeat as she curled in his arms?   
  
Michael began to discover there was a difference between sanctuary and a safety net. With Abby, he found some place unique and welcoming to him – everything was new and possible; with Starr, he got to be the hero – everything settled into its place.  
  
Smiling as her lips departed his, Michael waited for her to leave their silent breakfast and approached one of the living room windows.  
  
In a bath of sun, he felt the shame bubbling in his veins once more; how the hell could he want more than this?  
  
~*~  
  
 _“I’m telling you, son, a trip to Los Angeles could be just the break you need.”_  
  
Of all people, Michael told AJ that he felt “lost” and allowed a stranger to call him the s-word once more; knowing if Jason had been here, one talk would have told him the perfect move.  
  
Michael had boarded the plane, half listening to AJ’s ELQ ramblings as they put Port Charles behind them. All he could think about was his life with Starr, almost a year and on track. Everything as expected, perfectly in place.  
  
There was something he needed, a piece out of place, and he blamed himself; his life had been so screwed up at this point that he expected the worst.   
  
He found himself longing for the fall rather than simply anticipating it.  
  
~*~  
  
Though he insisted to AJ that rest would do them both good, Michael found himself on one of the suite’s balconies overlooking the ocean. The night whispered to him, asked that he be present for every moment of its wonder.   
  
Leaning on the stone railing, he smiled at the traffic and busy street below.  
  
The sound of a motorcycle speeding and weaving through traffic caught Michael’s attention, a slim figure bringing the bike to an abrupt stop.   
  
Michael had slipped out of his hotel room after seeing her dark locks spill out of the helmet; and she was easy to find as she looked at the ocean’s waves – completely still in her spot.  
  
With her belongings at her feet, she stood proud in low-rise jeans and an off-the-shoulder mocha sweater.   
  
The smarter part of him, willing to accept his life for what it currently was, had not kept him from approaching; instead, he found himself standing only a few feet away from her.  
  
Her jaw was tight, breath heavy as it slightly flared her nostrils, and it prompted him to be bold.  
  
“Are you okay?”  
  
“I don’t need a hero, a ride home, a cheesy pick-up line, or your phone number. That should stop this conversation before it starts.”  
  
Though her tone was stern, almost threatening, her voice shook by the end of her attack and told him to stay put. When he did not budge, a frustrated laugh parted her lips.  
  
“Do you have a hard head or are you just that arrogant?”   
  
Whipping around to face him, her fierce blue eyes softened at the sight of him; her lips snapped shut, signaling she may need someone to just stand there.  
  
~*~  
  
His life with Starr felt unreal as she casually unveiled her drama to him, one which involved her ex-boyfriend and her step-sister.   
  
“They’re getting married tomorrow, and…he came to me tonight.” She wiped the sand from her hands before using the back of her index fingers to dab away stray tears, “I was supposed to convince him yet again that life deserved to be—exciting and surprising every day. He needed me to pull him back from the mundane and familiar one more time, but I couldn’t. I’m so—exhausted of this whole thing, and I just—I couldn’t do it again.”  
  
Michael continued to sink his bare feet into the sand as they sat beside each other, just out of the wave’s reach. Time did not matter in that moment, even as the loud buzz which had previously been behind them seemed to fade to a low hum.  
  
“How could I not fight just—a little longer? What in me was so…quick to give up this time?” She rested her chin on her shoulder, slightly pouting her lip, “You probably think it’s crazier to pour your guts out to a complete stranger, right?”  
  
“He doesn’t know how to get out.” Michael peeled his eyes away from her, facing the moon’s reflection on the water so he may continue, “What he’s got with her…it’s safe. It’s dependable, and he’s afraid to leave a woman who won’t leave him for a woman who is capable of anything.”  
  
“How—how do you know that?”  
  
“…because it’s easier to keep a sure thing than to pursue a possibility.”  
  
She half smiled at this, leaning her head back with a chuckle, “So I should settle down?”  
  
“No.” Michael stood to his feet, extending a hand down to assist her up; she responded to his gesture, holding his hand as he offered a small grin, “You should find someone just as impossible as you.”  
  
~*~  
  
Returning to Port Charles and his home with Starr, Michael did not unpack his bag or call another person. If he was going to listen to his own advice, he would have to maintain a clear head.  
  
No one would be able to influence him or make the shame return, even when he had to dull her excitement with the painful truth.  
  
Without apology or lengthy explanation, Michael looked into her worried eyes as he confessed, “I need to leave.”


End file.
